CS on Earth knowledge handouts and notes

Your title
page for
knowledge
section

Grade 7 Vocabulary List (Correlational Study on Earth’s
Surface and Below)
1. correlation (n)
2. variable (n)
3. archive (n)
4. survey (n)
5. plain (n)
6. plateau (n)
7. latitude (n)
8. longitude (n)
9. contour (n)
10. weathering (n)
11. oxidation (n)
12. humus (n)
13. litter (n)
14. leach (v)
15. till (n)
16. terrace (n)
17. erosion (n)
18. deposition

19. slump (n, related to erosion)
20. creep (n, related to erosion)
21. glacier (n)
22. plucking (n, related to glaciers)
23. moraine (n)
24. outwash (n)
25. deflation (n)
26. abrasion(n)
27. dune (n)
28. runoff (n)
29. meander (n)
30. basin(n)
31. channel (related to water)
32. groundwater
33. permeable
34. spring (related to water)
35. geyser

** Need to write for each word:
1. Definition
2. Your own sentence

SUMMARY – Organizer Handout for Chapter 6, Section 1
Reading Notes
Step 1: Read one time.
* Take notes too if you want! 

Step 2:
Write the Main Idea (1-2 sentences) –_____________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

Step 3: Write the supporting ideas. Write in the small boxes first!

Step 4: Write the supporting details. Write in the bigger boxes later!
Supporting Idea 1 (1-2 sentences)

Supporting Details 1 (1+ sentences)

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________



____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________



____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________



____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________


____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________



____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

** If you have more supporting ideas and details to write, just continue on A4
paper using the same format!!! 

SUMMARY – Organizer Handout for Chapter 7, Section 1
Reading Notes
Step 1: Read one time.
* Take notes too if you want! 

Step 2:
Write the Main Idea (1-2 sentences) –_____________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

Step 3: Write the supporting ideas. Write in the small boxes first!

Step 4: Write the supporting details. Write in the bigger boxes later!


____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________


_________________________________
(Summary Note for Chapter 6, Section 2 and 3)
You have begun to learn about a correlational study where you try find a correlation (connection)
between 2 different things.

Also, you have hopefully begun to see how a map can be useful in a correlational study to show
a correlation more clearly (ex. Climate and weathering rates).

Maps can also be used for many other purposes in addition to helping the scientist complete a
correlational study. In this note, you will learn the basic features and skills required to make a
number of useful maps.

_______________________________?
A map is simply a ______________ of some area. It is used by scientists and other to show
various places, features or other materials that are located within the area of interest.

Part 1 - ______________________- There are a variety of maps that are being used for
various scientific purposes in the world such as a correlational study. Below is a short
description of some of the more common ones:

1. ________________________ – Map projections are models of the Earth’s surface
where are all points and lines on a globe (a 3D model of Earth) are
___________________ onto a 2D writing sources like paper. Map projections are the
most common types of map that most people use including probably you. Road maps,
world maps and land feature maps are a few examples. Look in your textbook at
figure 12.

There are also different kinds of map projections including:

i) ________________________ – All lines and points are transferred to paper such that
the lines of longitude are ALL straight and parallel to each other. Such a map is
convenient to read but it is less accurate. Longitude lines are NOT supposed to be
straight because the world is a sphere and not a cube. As a result, all areas have the
right shapes but areas near the pole become bigger than they really are such as
Greenland.

ii) __________________________ – The longitude lines are transferred to paper as
curves. This makes the map more circular and accurate. In general, all areas have
the right shape and are the right size including the areas close to the poles. See
figure 13.

iii) ________________________ – the longitude and latitude lines are projected along a
cone format. This makes the latitude lines curved and the longitude lines straight but
at different angles from each other. Conic projections are useful for smaller areas that
are far from the poles. Road maps are a good example

2. Topographic Maps – Topographic maps are models that show the changes in
elevations of the earth’s surface. So you can identify both your location AND elevation

on such a map. Normally, these maps are used when someone is interested in natural
features of the earth such as mountains, hills and valleys. However, it is also common to
put other common features like cultural features on these maps too. (ex. Roads, cities,
dams, … etc)

Topographic maps are created by drawing ___________________________. A contour line is a
line on the map that connects points having the same elevation. As well, contour lines are also
always drawn such that the change in elevation between any two line is always the same. This
difference is called the _______________________________. Simply, by drawing contour lines
closer or farther from each other, the mapper can keep this rule. See figure 15 for an example.

It is also common to mark some of the contour lines with their actual elevation. Then, you can
figure out the elevations for any other contour lines if you know the contour interval and then use
simple math.

3. ___________________________- you can also use certain tools like graph paper and
the coordinate system in math or even just a computer to create a map in 3D. Doing so
makes it easier for people to visualize certain land features cuh as rock layers or river
systems.

Part 2 – ___________________________
Although maps can vary in type and consequently in makeup, most maps share the following
features that make it easier to use the maps and may even be necessary for accurate use of
them:

1. ________________________ – map scale is the relationship between the
________________on the map and the distances in real (ie. on the real Earth’s surface).
Normally, map creators use a ratio to show the scale. For example, 1: 50 000 m means
any distance of 1cm on map equals a distance of 50 000 cm on the real surface of the
earth.

2. _________________________ – this is box or separate page that gives a list of all
_________________________used on the map (Ex. For cities, land features, regions
etc.) and a description of what each symbol means.

3. ____________________________- many maps also contain horizontal and vertical lines
(with some even being curved lines). The horizontal lines represent the latitude.
_________________ is the distance from the equator either north or south. It is
measured in _________________ based on the angle of an interior triangle (see Figure
8) from 0 degrees to 90 degrees north or south. Only whole numbers are represented but
you can use minutes and segments to describe the decimal part of any degree.

Similarly, _______________________ is the distance from an imaginary line called the
__________________________. Again, __________________and also minutes and
segments can be used.

Latitude and longitude are useful because they allow you to easily pinpoint the location of
any position or place on a map. See figure 9 for a good example of reading latitude and
longitude for a specific position on a map.

4. _____________________ – you can also use a map to keep track of the time! Because
the earth is constantly revolving on itself every 24 hours, time will be
____________________depending on the place in the world. We use time zones to
show these differences. And time zones are determined by longitude. In general, every
__________ degrees of longitude represents one time zone. Also, each time zone
varies in time by ________________ from the zone ahead or behind it. So there are 24
time zones all together. The “last” time zone division line is called the
_____________________________________. When you cross this line, you lose or
gain a day.

Task 1-

Task 2 –Making a Map Projection
 This is your second map creation task to perform.

 This task will involve the creation of a map projection.

 As well, it will require a good understanding of other map related feature such as latitude,
longitude and time zones

 Last, keep in mind that this task will marked!

** To complete this task, be sure to follow and complete all of steps below:

1. Choose a continent. It can be any continent of your choice. Write your continent on the
blank below:

My chosen continent- _________________________________________________

2. Trace your continent on an A4 or bigger size paper. Here’s a suggestion-

i) Go to google images and type the following: “<Continent Name> blank map”

ii) Choose an appropriate image and copy and paste in into word.

iii) Enlarge your image in word to the appropriate size and print out.

Task 2 –Making a Map Projection

 This is your second map creation task to perform.

 This task will involve the creation of a map projection.

 As well, it will require a good understanding of other map related feature such as latitude,
longitude and time zones

 Last, keep in mind that this task will marked!

** To complete this task, be sure to follow and complete all of steps below:

1. Choose a continent. It can be any continent of your choice. Write your continent on the
blank below:

My chosen continent- _________________________________________________

2. Trace your continent on an A4 or bigger size paper. Here’s a suggestion-

i) Go to google images and type the following: “<Continent Name> blank map”

ii) Choose an appropriate image and copy and paste in into word.

iii) Enlarge your image in word to the appropriate size and print out.

iv) Trace your printed image on another blank paper.

v) Recycle the printed image. ** Remember you MUST use your own trace NOT the
image

3. Draw all longitude and latitude lines with proper labels for your continent. Here’s a
suggestion-

i) Go to google.com and type “world longitude latitude”

ii) Locate your continent and draw only the lines appropriate for the continent

iii) Do not forget to label your lines.

4. Find at least 3 cities and use a symbol to represent them on your map. Also, be sure to
label your cities on the map and write both the longitude and latitude for each city.

5. Find at least 2 other interesting land features or other in your continent and use symbols
to show them on your map. Also, be sure to write what time zone each of them is in.

6. Last, add the following features to your map:

i) Map title ii) Map Key (Legend) iii) Your name!

 Ways to make your map more insightful ….

- Find and write about some correlation for something(s) in your continent

- Add colour, highlights or other artistic features

- Calculate your map’s scale

- Include some other appropriate or interesting paragraph (ex. Why you chose this
continent, Why this continent is important to you, Etc.)

________________________________________________
(Summary Note for Chapter 7, Section 2)

___________________________________?

Soil is a mixture of 3 basic kinds of matter:

1) _____________________________________________ - many of these rocks or minerals
have been greatly weathered to form the sand, clay or silt that is often found in soil. But there
can also be bigger pieces of rocks as well especially as you go deeper down.

2) ____________________________________________ – this material is formed from dead
plants and animals. When they die on the surface of the earth, they are called litter. Then
bacteria and fungi can cause the litter to decay into a dark-coloured material called
____________. Next, certain burrowing animals like worms, insects and rodents move it around
so it gets mixed with other things like the rocks. Humus is also important for living plants as it
serves as their prime source for nutrients.

3) __________________________________________________- water, air or other
compounds fill up the many spaces between the pieces of soil.
So, these 3 types of material get all mixed and compressed together to create the every outer
layer of our Earth that we call soil.

________________________________________?

Soil is not the same throughout any surface of land. Rather, it forms 3 distinct layers according
to depth that altogether make up the ________________________. Each layer of soil is also
called a ______________________and is denoted by a letter:

1. ___________________- this is the top most layer of soil. It is also called
_________________. Here can be found more humus but fewer rock and mineral pieces.
This area tends then to be dark and fertile
.
2. ________________________ – this is the next layer down. Here, there is less organic
material and so this layer is lighter in colour and is less fertile. On the other hand, there
tend to me more minerals in this area. This is because of _______________________
which causes any minerals originally located closer to the surface to be carried
downwards. More specifically, leaching results because of the presence of water in the A
Horizon. This water will mix with some the humus there to form a weak acid. Then the
weak acid will dissolve often any minerals nearby and then carry them downwards to the
B Horizon by some force.

3. ____________________________- this is lower most layer of soil. Here, there bigger
pieces of rock as less weathering occurs as you go deeper down. Also, this area is too
far down for humus to travel to before it gets used up as nutrients for plants. And it is also
often too far for acids to travel to so there is not much leaching here. As a result, C
Horizon tends to consist mostly of rock only.

______________________________________?

As explain above, soil varies as you go deeper down (ie. there are three layers or horizons). But
soil can also in other ways too. Even the same type of horizon in one area of the world can look
very differently in another part of the world. Things like colour, maximum soil depth, texture and
fertility can all vary greatly. (See figure 13)
What determines what one region of soil looks like? There are a number of factors as describe
below:

1. ____________________________ – the climate of an area can affect the nature of its
soil. More specifically, the temperature, the amount of rain and the force of the wind can
all create differences in how the soil forms. For instance, in very dry areas such as
deserts, few animals live there and so these soils tend to have little organic material and
are thinner. Soils in certain plains like the Prairies in North America tend to be thicker and
darker because a lot of grass grows on top and then then when this grass dies, more
humus will be created

2. ___________________- Glaciers are able to pick up tonnes of pieces of rocks, minerals
and other materials as they move through an area. After travelling very far distances, the
eventually stop and ___________ their material in another area of the land. Then, these
deposited pieces of rock can experience weather and help form the very top layer of the
soil. Yet, they will be very different from the rocks that are deeper down in the soil of the
other area. This explains how the rocks minerals on the top of any area can be much
different than those deeper down.

3. ___________________ – the original rocks in any given area called the
__________________ can also affect how the soil develops. Some rock types make it
easier for certain types of plants to grow than other rock types. So certain areas will have
different kinds and different amounts of humus depending on what kind of rocks are there.
The kind of rocks themselves will create different mixtures of soil when they get
weathered. For instance, some weathered rocks turn into clay and make the soil contain
more clay than other kinds of rocks.

4. _______________– the slope of the land can also affect how fertile land is. Normally,
land at the top of a slope will be less fertile than the land at the bottom. This is because
any dead or decaying material tends to get pushed ____________________the slope to
its bottom before it can be pressed into the earth to help form soil.

_________________________________-

The formation of soil is a complex process. The general idea is as follows:
1. Natural acids in rain water or freezing water that can flow in between the cracks of parent
rocks. Eventually, the rocks get weathered and break into small pieces.

2. Plants take root between the rock pieces. As their roots grow, they cause further
weathering and the area nearby gets broken down to eventually form a thin layer of soil
towards the top
3. Other organism like worms and insects start to live among the plant roots. Eventually
they and the roots of the plants themselves die too and their decayed matter is added to
the soil.

4. The above keeps happening. As more and more rock gets broken up by roots and as
more and more organisms die and add humus to the area, the soil continues to develop
into horizons with the more fertile soil at the top and less weathered and bigger rocks
towards the bottom.

Outside Soil Photo Investigation
To introduce the next subarea of knowledge for Earth and Below, you are required to complete a
small soil photo investigation as follows:

1. Go outside into the school yard and find an interesting sample of soil such as a piece of
dirt, an unusual rock or maybe some specks of sand (you choose!)
2. Using a marker, put a small dot somewhere on the sample and then take a photo
3. Complete Box 1 below (you need to write the starting location and then you need to
explain the ending location in 2 different ways as instructed below)
4. After 1 week, revisit the place. Is your soil sample still there? If not, can you find it? Take
a look around for your dot if possible. (It may also help to keep an eye on your soil
sample every day)
5. Complete Box 2 below (you need to explain what happened to the sample and if one of
your predictions was right or not)
BOX 1
Starting Location Photo
Starting Location for My Soil Sample- ____________________________________________________
(optional)
Predicted Ending Location for My Soil Sample - ____________________________________________

My Real Reason For My Prediction-
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

My Extraordinary Reason for My Prediction
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
BOX 2
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

(Write on back if you need more space or other paper)

BOX 2
What Happened to my Soil Sample?-
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Ending Location Photo
(optional)
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________
(Summary Note for Chapter 8, Section 1)

Hopefully, you can see that pieces of dirt, sand or even rock do not always stay in the same spot
but are constantly moving or more correctly they are getting moved by “something”. And it does
not matter if it is a piece of dirt in your school yard or even huge boulders on a mountain top.
They all eventually get moved and put somewhere else. What causes earth materials like soil
and rock to be moved and put elsewhere? The answer to this question is a complex one
because there are multiple factors that can do this. However, before describing such factors, it is
good to start with a definition of such movement. It is called _______________________.

______________________________? – Erosion is the process by which surface materials (ie.
pieces of soil at Earth’s surface) are moved (by something) from one place towards another
place. Further, these materials eventually will be dumped somewhere. The dropping or dumping
of materials to a different location is known as ____________________. Normally, this happens
because the something in erosion stops moving them because it runs out of energy. So think of
deposition as the end point of erosion. OR to use an analogy, erosion is like the process of
driving someone somewhere and deposition is when you let them off.

___________________________?

As stated above, there are many causes of erosion and they can even work together. For this
particular note, we will learn about one particular cause: ____________. Gravity can cause
things to move (downwards such as on slopes). And when it does, this type of erosion is
referred to as ____________________________.

______________________________________?

Mass movement or the movement of materials downslope by gravity can occur in different ways
and to different degrees. Some of the more common ones are discussed next:

A) ___________________- slump is a kind of soil movement that occurs on a grand scale.
Moreover, is not about a few pieces of rock or something moving down a slope. Rather is about
a HUGE part of the entire slope itself –slowly- shifting and moving downwards. See figure 2. To
give an analogy, it would be similar to the first floor of a house on some hill weakening. Then the
second floor would fall down the hill as the first floor eventually collapses.

A slump itself in a number of ways but always involves gravity and there needs to be a slope. To
describe one way, a huge chunk of heavy rock could be on top of some lighter softer rock like
clay. The big weight of the heavy rock eventually causes the lighter rock underneath to weaken
until it can no longer support the heavier rock Then the heavier rock crashes down the slope as
one big mass. In another example, water could seep in underneath a big piece of land and
weaken the underneath rock only causing it again to weaken and then the piece of land above
all moves downwards.

B) ____________________– creep is a much slower and less dramatic type of mass movement
than slump. Here, an area of land (normally a very small area) again weakens somewhere (at
the surface or underneath) This weakening again causes the little area to move but the
weakening is very soft. So the little area just moves (shifts) a little. Normally, the shifted

movement is not easily seen by the human naked eye. But you can tell by looking at certain
trees. The bottom trunk part of such trees may curve parallel to the slope and then the rest of
the trunk is bent straight up. This happens because the land around the tree has shifted slightly
where tree’s roots are. This causes the tree to be oriented away from the sky and the it curves
itself upwards by phototropism to get more sunlight. See figure 3.

C) ___________________________________ – this is probably the easiest type mass
movement to understand. Basically here, pieces of rock located higher up a slope first break
loose (by weathering) from their current locations. Once they are loose, there is nothing to
support them and keep them at the top. So they naturally, fall down the slope thanks to gravity.
Also, the first falling rocks could hit other rocks and then cause them to break free and fall as
well. So, rock movement like this tends to get bigger and bigger as the slide continues. Now, if
just a few rocks fall, we call their movement a ____________. If many rocks fall together and
more suddenly, we call the movement a ___________________. If whole bunch of soil such as
sand or even snow gets stirred and begins falling down as a huge mass, we call such
movement an ____________________.

D) ______________________ – a mudflow is similar to both a slump and a rock fall. Like a rock
fall, a mudflow involves sediment of rock that have become loosened somehow. However, a
mudflow also involve a huge area of land to fall downwards like a slump. However, there is one
key difference: __________. Before a mudflow, there must have been a huge rainfall or some
other soaking such that the entire area almost has been changed to a thick and pasty material
that we called ______________. The formation of mud makes the changed earth part much
looser and increase the chances that it will not remain where it is but fall downward creating a
mudflow.

_____________________________-

Erosion by gravity can be problematic to many and even tragic to some. Imagine if you were a
farmer who had planted important crops in some area on or by a slope. Then, if a slump or rock
fall or even a creep occurred, it could ruin your plants. For example, the soil moves and uproots
your trees. Big boulders fall on your plants. So it is important to a number of people that steep
slopes should be kept safe. As a result, certain people spend time strengthening the underlying
soil For example, to strengthen an area, they could add plants. The plants will take root and in
the process plant themselves well.

_________________________________________________________________
(Summary Note for Chapter 8, Section 2 and 3)
You have learned about erosion and you have also learned about one type of erosion caused by
gravity: mass movement. In this note, you will about two other types of erosion each caused by
something else: glacial erosion and wind erosion.

Part 1 – __________________________________

_________________________________________?

To understand glacial erosion, you first need to understand what a glacier is. A
________________is simply a large mass of ice and snow that can move because of its huge
weight. The basic idea is that over time, snow can accumulate in certain cold areas of the world
and (almost) never melt. As more and more snow piles up, the snow beneath gets compressed.
Eventually this bottom snow can turn into ice and become slippery. Then, the enormous weight
of the snow can cause the bottom part to flow and move away from its current location. Hence,
we now have a moving mass of ice and snow or what we call a glacier.

____________________________________________-

There are also 2 types of glaciers: _____________________________________________.
Continental glaciers are the ___________ ones. They cover (or covered) huge areas of land
including ___________ _______________________ such as the continental glacier that covers
Antarctica. The size and number of continental glaciers depends on the climate. When the
world’s climate is colder, continental glaciers get bigger and cover more land. When the climate
is warmer, they melt and get smaller.
The second type are valley glaciers. These are the _________________ glaciers. They are
usually found in _____________________. They can also help shape the mountains and also
the valleys between them as the move through them in different ways. Many interesting land
features can be made including U-shaped valleys.

__________________________________________?
Hopefully, you now know what a glacier erosion. The next BIG IDEA is to understand how a
glacier can cause erosion (ie. pick up rocks, sand and other sediment and move it away).
Glacial Erosion mainly occurs in 2 important steps:

Step 1 – ____________________ – Plucking is a process where the glacier picks up rocks and
other things. Plucking happens because bottom or side parts of the glacier were first water and
then later froze. More specifically, when glacier ice is first water, this water can flow in cracks
between rocks. Then later, the water freezes and it also expands which causes some rocks to
fracture (break). The broken pieces get also stuck in the ice and are thus taken with the glacier
as it slowly moves away.

Step 2 – ____________________________ – this step simply refers to the movement of the
rock that got plucked. Because the rock is frozen well into the sides and bottoms of the glacier, it
will get taken along with the glacier wherever it goes. It will even be taken to far away places. In
other words, the rock is transported. Also, another interesting effect happens. As more and more
rocks gets plucked up and transported, they can scrape up the soil as they are moved. These

scrapes eventually become huge and as the glacier moves, the whole land gets scoured. Long
parallel marks are made into the land as the glacier moves and its rocks keep scraping the land.
If the marks are fairly small, they are called ____________________. If the marks are deeper
and longer, they are called ____________________.

___________________- Glaciers can cause erosion in ___________________ by simply
pushing rocks and other sediment that are in front of them. (like a bull dozer). Also in
____________________, when a glacier melts, the melting water can flow away from the
glacier and carry things like rocks with it as well to cause erosion.

_______________________________________? – It is also important to remember the end
point of erosion: _________________________. This is when the erosion stops and the picked
up things are put down somewhere. Deposition happens with glaciers too. Indeed, glaciers also
eventually stop moving because over time temperatures changes can cause enough of the
glacier to melt that it cannot move well anymore or the parts of the glacier with the stuck rock
melt and can no longer hold the rock. Also, because the melting happens gradually and in
certain places first, the glacier normally stops moving by retracting or we can say the glacier
______________________.

Further, the rock pieces can get deposited in different ways. If they are slowly deposited over
large areas when the glacier is retreating back, we refer to such deposition as _____________.
On the other hand, the glacier can also first push pieces of rock that are ahead of it like a bull
dozer into bigger and bigger piles. Then later when the glacier retreats, the pile stops getting
pushed and remains as a ridge. This kind of deposition is called a ________________. Third,
some rock can also be carried and then dropped by some of the melted water from a glacier.
This rock gets dropped off a little differently. Usually big rocks drop first and then smaller and
smaller rocks. This kind of deposition is called an
____________________________________________. It is when the glacier is retreating that
all the rock pieces are deposited

Part 2 – _________________________________________

You should know what wind is. It is also important to understand that the wind can also move
things and this even includes loose earth material like rocks. In other words, erosion can also
occur by the wind.
____________________________________________?
Wind erosion typically occurs in two ways.

A. _____________________________________

First, the wind is capable of moving pieces of rock over large areas as it can pick up things and
throw it high into the air. This kind of wind erosion is known as deflation. Normally with deflation,
lighter loose material only gets carried away and removed. Then, heavier coarse rock material is
left behind exposed.
As well, deflation can also result in the formation of ____________________________.
Normally, the wind is fairly weak and it cannot pick up many things. But at other times, wind may
blow very hard. If this occurs in deserts, a powerful wind can even pick up sand grains and
move them around violently to form low clouds of sands. This kind of wind storm is called a
_________________________. As well, in other areas where the soil is dry, a more powerful
wind can even pick up pieces of the soil such as clay or silt and blow them around hard. This

kind of storm is called a _________________________. It can even destroy the topsoil and
carry soil across oceans.

B. ___________________________

Any thing picked up by the wind can also hit other things. When windblown sediment (pieces of
rock) strike other rocks, they can cause weathering for these rocks. In other words, they knock
off pieces of the other rock as they hit it and then these pieces can be carried away by the wind
too. This type of wind erosion is known as __________________________. It often leaves the
remaining rock looking more polished like with a sandblasting machine.

________________________________________?
As with all erosion, eventually wind erosion slows and stops as the wind will eventually become
calmer and “die”. Then again, pieces of rock, sand or soil will be dropped somewhere or
deposited. There are different ways the wind deposits its picked up sediment:

a) ____________________ – winds that pick up very fine-grained sediments (fine pieces of
rocks) may carry them to hilltops or valleys. When these grains are eventually dropped,
they can pile up together to create a thick, un-layered, yellowish-brown deposit. Such a
piling is called a ______________.

b) _________________________– a dune forms when a wind carrying sediment hits some
obstacle like a big rock. The wind will then travel around the obstacle but some of its
carried sediment may not and start to collect at the obstacle. Eventually, enough
sediment gathers to form a kind of big mound called a ____________________. This
kind of deposition is common with sand in deserts.

Dunes will also have 2 sides. The side facing the wind will be more
_______________than the side away from the wind because of the way the sand gets
piled up against the obstacle. Eventually, the dune may even ____________________ in
the other direct of the wind as the sand pile shifts towards the more gentle side. As well,
dunes can be formed into _________________________________ depending on the
type and strength of the wind. See figure 23 for an example of a star dune.

CS on Earth knowledge handouts and notes

Recomendados

Recomendados

Más contenido relacionado

Destacado

Destacado (18)

Similar a CS on Earth knowledge handouts and notes

Similar a CS on Earth knowledge handouts and notes (20)

Más de Ghaundar

Más de Ghaundar (17)

Último

Último (20)

CS on Earth knowledge handouts and notes